Instagram canceled some of the planned changes on its platform that moved the excitement of social media over the past few days. First, Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri stated that the video is the future of Instagram after the announcement that all public videos under 15 minutes will be a scroll while the bait will be a full screen. Then, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg dropped the bomb that part of the recommended content on Instagram and Facebook feeds would double next year.
In an interview with Casey Newton technology journalist, Mosseri revealed that the limited beta testing of full screen bait will end over the next few weeks. In addition, the company will also reduce the recommended number of posts currently appearing on your home feed. Is the plan also includes Zuckerberg’s promise to investors about duplicating the algorithmic recommended content in the feed starting next year is still unclear.
However, Mosseri’s quick step is still an extraordinary event and shows that a fierce online counterattack from Instagram users really shakes officials in the company. From regular users who vent their frustration on social media to influential figures that promote the “Instagram Make Instagram”, the proposed change that will make Instagram feel more like Tiktok has attracted sharp criticism.
Despite remarkable pushback, video is here to stay
Talking about the main bait and content that fills it, Mosseri told Newton that Instagram needs to “take a step back, in terms of the percentage of feed which is a recommendation, becomes better in ranking and recommendations, and then – if and when we do – we can begin to grow again. “While Mosseri believes that Instagram will rise again, the decision to encourage content that is less recommended into the user bait is temporary.
However, Mosseri raised important points about the pattern of content consumption that developed on Instagram, which was dramatically more shifted to the video according to internal data. “The growth of the video that we have seen has long been ahead of us more inclined to recommendations and content that is not connected,” Mosseri said. In the context of making a quick change in Instagram’s core experience, Mosseri said that the company needs to do better work in explaining the benefits of changes before making the tweak so that users are not surprised and confused.
While the full screen bait experience will be lowered to the initial experimental status, it seems that the video is here to stay. According to Mosseri, Instagram always does work well with how photos are handled on the platform. However, now the user interacts with video in every corner of the platform, it is necessary to find ways to do better in the department in such a way that users have positive experience and the creator is also not injured.